Preview:
- ‘Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle’ won the US box office this weekend.
- The movie has earned more than $300 million globally.
- ‘The Conjuring: Last Rites’ dropped to second place.
Though September is usually viewed as a sluggish time for the box office, Sony’s latest release, Japanese anime movie ‘Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle’ has struck gold, opening to an impressive $70 million, the biggest opening ever for an anime title and more than double 1999’s ‘Pokémon: The First Movie’, which launched to $31 million.
It’s just the latest big hit for the medium, following the success of ‘KPop Demon Hunters’, the Sing-Along version of which Sony released in collaboration with Netflix. But while ‘Demon Hunters’ technically doesn’t register on the charts, ‘Demon Castle’ is a theatrical bona fide sensation.
Related Article: Netflix’s ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ Sing-Along Scores Big Win at Box Office
How did ‘Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle’ do elsewhere?
The new movie, which represents the first part of a trilogy, has already earned plenty of money globally, $300 million to be exact, including more than $200 million in its native Japan where it has become the country’s third-highest-grossing release of all time.
Sony’s anime distribution banner, Crunchyroll, backed the movie and gave the studio a genuine big hit after a quiet summer that included misses such as ‘Caught Stealing’ and more modest performers such as ‘Karate Kid: Legends’ and the legacy sequel ‘I Know What You Did Last Summer’.
What else happened at the box office this weekend?
‘The Conjuring: Last Rites’, which had its own successful launch last weekend, took a 69% tumble, making $26.1 million, and bringing its domestic total to $131.1 million.
Third was ‘Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale’, looking to wrap up the series, which started on TV in the UK and previously spawned two other movies. This latest entry made $18.1 million, a little ahead of 2022’s ‘Downton Abbey: A New Era’.
In fourth place, we find ‘The Longest Walk’, the dystopian dramatic thriller adapted from the Stephen King story. It opened to $11.5 million, which considering its troubled development history, is seen as a minor victory for making it to screens at all.
And in fifth, Disney/Pixar’s ‘Toy Story’ was re-released in 2,375 theaters to mark its 30th anniversary, and it made $3.5 million.
Most of the rest of the top 10 was held by current movies, though another sequel, ‘Spinal Tap II: The End Continues’, debuted to a somewhat disappointing $1.67 million in ninth from 1,920 theaters.
Other Movies Currently in Theaters
'Weapons' (2025)
'Freakier Friday' (2025)
'Hamilton' (2025
'Fantastic Four: First Steps' (2025)
